A feed means for an automatic sewing machine, in which a fabric holder can be displaced by means of a displacing mechanism relative to the fabric holder drive between two end positions and can be locked in these positions has been known from DE 31 34 028 C2. The work field of the fabric holders can be doubled through this measure in the direction of movement of the displacing mechanism and it is thus possible to sew a combination pattern composed of two seam sections abutting each other, which is larger than the travel of the fabric holder.
The program-controlled sewing process begins at a starting point located on a center line halving the combination pattern and ends in the first seam section at an intermediate point located on the same center line. When this intermediate point is reached, the sewing process is interrupted by a cam control, a thread-cutting process is performed, and the fabric holder is displaced by the displacing mechanism into its other end position, after which the needle of the sewing machine is located above another intermediate point, which is located on an imaginary line that is located at the end of the travel and no longer intersects the workpiece. The fabric holder is returned from this intermediate point by a cam control to a second seam starting point, beginning from which another seam section, which ends at the end point of the first seam section, is formed in a program-controlled manner. A third seam section is finally formed by the combined cam and program control.
However, this prior-art sewing process for preparing oversized seam patterns requires a fully automated process, i.e., not only the sewing process proper, but also the displacement of the fabric holder into the second end position to the auxiliary points located outside the workpiece must be performed in a program- or cam-controlled manner.